Opening a restaurant or bar: what music licensing do you need to set up?

Step 1: List how you will use music

Start with a plain list of every way music will be heard in your venue, room by room. The license follows the business. ASCAP says “the business owner is legally responsible to obtain the license” (ASCAP Music Licensing FAQs). Each use below has its own answer page.

Background music

The playlist in the dining room, bar, patio and restrooms. Where it comes from matters. See step 2 and Can I play Spotify in my restaurant or bar?

Live music, DJs and karaoke

ASCAP says live music of any kind, “including DJ nights and karaoke”, needs public performance licenses. These are licenses to play music in public (ASCAP Music Licensing FAQs). More in Do I need a license for live music, DJs or karaoke?

TVs and radio

A narrow exemption (an exception in the law) can cover some radio and TV broadcasts in smaller venues. There are limits on equipment. It never covers streaming services, live music or music in social videos. See Is my venue exempt from music licensing?

Private events and special nights

A band or DJ booked for a party, a ticketed night or a cover charge is a live use like any other. GMR says paying the performers does not remove your need for a license (Global Music Rights FAQ).

Social video

Music added to an Instagram, TikTok or YouTube post is a different use from music in the room. It has its own platform rules. See Can my venue use popular songs in Instagram or TikTok videos?

For each use, note how often it happens and in which room. Every later step, and every talk with a PRO, builds on that list. How much does a music license cost? explains how these uses feed into fees.

Step 2: Choose your background music source

Consumer streaming plans are made for personal listening. Spotify, for example, gives permission for “personal, non-commercial use” (Spotify End User Agreement, section 3). Playing a personal plan to customers goes beyond those terms.

A business music service is the usual choice instead. It generally covers its own recorded songs played as background music, and nothing more. Pandora CloudCover says “A background music license also does not cover live performances, cover artists, DJs” (Pandora CloudCover, licensing FAQ). Read your service’s terms to see what it includes, and keep a copy. The options are compared in Can I play Spotify in my restaurant or bar?

Step 3: Contact each PRO whose songs you will play

There are four performing rights organizations (PROs). Each one licenses only its own catalog of songs. ASCAP says “you need a license with each PRO that represents the creators of the music that you play” (ASCAP Music Licensing FAQs). GMR says licenses with the other three “do not grant you authorization” to play its writers’ music, “and vice versa” (Global Music Rights FAQ). Do I need ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR? explains how the four fit together and how to look up a song.

Each PRO has its own starting point for businesses. Here is what the PROs’ own pages showed on November 13, 2026:

ASCAP

ASCAP’s page for music users lists a “Restaurant, Bar & Nightclub Music License” with a “Purchase License” button. For other kinds of business, it offers a licensing contact form. It says one of its representatives will then get in touch with the license that fits your needs (ASCAP, music licensing for businesses).

BMI

BMI’s FAQ says the business owner must get permission from the copyright owner, whether music is “performed by a live band, DJ or karaoke”. It also says a license from another PRO “allows you only to perform copyrighted music represented by that organization” (BMI Music Licensing FAQs).

SESAC

“If you use music in your bar or restaurant, then you likely need a license,” says SESAC’s page for bars and restaurants. It sets out three steps: “Choose your license type”, “Tell us about your business” and “Secure your blanket music license”. A blanket license is one license for that PRO’s whole catalog. You can pay online. If you cannot, SESAC says its licensing staff will follow up by email or phone to finish the process (SESAC, music licensing for bars and restaurants).

GMR

Global Music Rights says you need a license from it to legally play the copyrighted songs, or shares of songs, that it represents (Global Music Rights, licensing). Its “Obtain a license” page asks you to pick your business type. “Bars & Restaurants” is one of the choices. It also asks you to “elaborate on your business type and music performance details” (Global Music Rights, obtain a license).

Have your step 1 list at hand. Add your occupancy (how many people your venue can hold) and the nights you plan live music, DJs or karaoke. We found no published price list from BMI, SESAC or GMR for bars and restaurants. So ask each one for a written quote based on your occupancy and music use (How much does a music license cost?).

Step 4: Keep records, and recheck when things change

Keep one folder with each license agreement and invoice, your music service contract and terms, and your step 1 list. It makes renewals simpler. It also gives you something clear to compare with any letter you get later. Got a letter from a PRO? covers what to do if one arrives.

Look at your list again whenever your music changes. That could be a first live night, a DJ or karaoke night, a cover charge, private events, more TVs or speakers, or a new music service. A background music service usually stops at background music (step 2). And GMR says its rates “depend upon your type of business and how the music is presented to the public” (Global Music Rights FAQ). A change in how you use music can mean a change in what you need.

For a printable version of these questions, see the music licensing checklist.